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5 Things That Came and Went in the 2000s While FAFS Continues On

The 2000s brought us Facebook, iPods and GPS along with a litany of other technology we continue to use today. It also brought us canceled television shows, discontinued sodas and failed football leagues. But throughout the ever changing landscape of the new millennium, Foster and Adoptive Family Services (FAFS) continued on.

Here are 5 things that came and went in the 2000s while FAFS continued on.

Total Request Live
Total Request Live, or TRL to the teenyboppers who watched it, was a cultural touchstone during the 2000s. The show, hosted by Carson Daly, helped launch the career of countless pop stars in its 10 years on MTV including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and ‘N Sync. It was one of the most watched (for its time) interactive shows out there. However, the music stopped and TRL aired its final show in November of 2008.

The Osbournes
Remember that show about that strange family with the dad who spoke such muted gibberish that you needed subtitles to understand him? He was the same guy that fronted that band Black Sabbath, the pioneers of heavy metal music. In 2002, The Osbournes with Ozzy was one of the most watched shows in the country, with people tuning in to see what antics the family would get into this week. The show even won an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Reality Program. But three years later, the show was off the air leaving audiences still wondering what Ozzy was saying.

The XFL
Are you ready for some football? The answer has always been a resounding yes in America, unless of course it was the XFL. Founded in 2001 by World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon, the XFL was marketed as a complement to the NFL. However, the league never received the respect or recognition of sports media and was often seen as a joke. After the inaugural season was complete, the league disbanded. The 50-50 joint venture between the WWE and NBC saw both entities lose $35 million.

Napster
Long before there was Spotify, iTunes or Pandora, there was Napster. In the early days of file sharing, when finding music online was anything but guaranteed, Napster was king. Founded in 1999, the peer-to-peer file sharing service reached its height of popularity in 2001 with 26.4 million users sharing MP3s. A year prior Metallica realized its music was available for free and filed a lawsuit, the beginning of a series of lawsuits by the recording industry that would eventually force Napster into bankruptcy in 2002.

Sprite Remix
In 2003, a colorless caffeine-free flavored drink hit the shelves and sold 55 million cases, according to the New York Times. But in two years time, Sprite Remix would be discontinued and forgotten about, save for a dedicated minority that clamors for its return. The soft drink, made by the Coca-Cola Company, had three flavors: Sprite Tropical Remix (introduced in 2003), Sprite Berryclear Remix (introduced in 2004) and Sprite Aruba Jam Remix (introduced in 2005).

As the decades continue to pass, technology and the world around us grows exponentially. And while those who grew up in New Jersey in the 1970s may have a hard time recognizing an iPod or recall using Napster, they’ll recognize FAFS. Technology may change but foster parents will always take care of foster children, and FAFS will always be there to help foster parents.